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REVEALED: 10 more questions from The New Republic’s interview with President Obama

Jamie Weinstein Senior Writer
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The New Republic magazine relaunched itself Sunday with a riveting interview of President Barack Obama, conducted by editor Franklin Foer and Chris Hughes — the twenty-something Facebook billionaire who recently bought the magazine and installed himself as editor-in-chief.

Hughes also worked for President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, so you can imagine how tough and rigorous the questioning of the president was.

But given what one might call President Obama’s verbal excesses, Hughes and Foer weren’t able to ask all of their questions in the time allotted.

Here, revealed for the first time, are 10 pressing queries the two planned to ask but weren’t able to get to:

  1. Can you tell us a little bit about how you’re artistically preparing for your second term?
  2. Will there be any major changes during your second term to your iPod playlist?
  3. A new movie is coming out about Jackie Robinson, who bravely became the first African-American to play Major League Baseball. I don’t mean to put you on the spot, Mr. President, but where do you stand on Jackie Robinson?
  4. John Boehner: sucky or really sucky?
  5. Speaking of Republicans, I think we all agree they are a cancer on our Republic. During your four years in office, have you yet figured out a way to cure that cancer?
  6. Is there anyone in the Republican Party who is neither a traitor nor an imbecile?
  7. In what ways do you think you’ve accomplished more than Abraham Lincoln?
  8. When you craft your historic orations, how do you avoid writing them in a way that will make others jealous of your magnificence? (Or does that come naturally to you as well?)
  9. If we may, Mr. President, we would like to turn to an issue we think isn’t getting enough attention: professional wrestling. Knowing what we know now about the injuries that occur in the sport, would you want your daughters to grow up to be professional wrestlers?
  10. On Syria, Mr. President, why don’t you think dictator Bashar al-Assad listened to you when you declared it was time for him to go? Is it possible he’s deaf? It just doesn’t make sense he would defy your edict, does it?

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